Cardinal Of The Week: Week Fourteen

Man the Cards are on a roll right now, and it was so sweet for them to get a win over the 49ers who have become the most hated team in the division for most of us.

Just another great team win where the offense made some big plays in the second half, and the defense just continued to make huge plays throughout the entire game.

Last week, you guys also went with my cop out pick so I didn't have to choose from all the deserving players and 50% of the total 267 voters went with the entire Defense

Larry Fitzgerald - Seven catches on nine targets, 147 yards, TD

This guy is just incredible, we saw some vintage 08-09 playoffs Larry out there last night. He just keeps making incredible catches, and he is so good at bailing out whoever the quarterback is. All you have to do is chuck it up to him and he can come down with it even with defenders draped all over him. In this game, he made several spectacular catches, he fought for every yard, he a great block on Early Doucet's touchdown, and he went over 1,000 yards for the season (1,092) for the sixth time in his career which is a Cardinals franchise record.

John Skelton - 19 of 28, 282 yards, three TDs, two Ints, six runs for 25 yards

Kolb got the start, but he was knocked out after the first series by taking a knee to the back of his helmet. And even if it wasn't that serious, with the new NFL rules on concussions they couldn't risk putting him back out there so it was up to Skelton to play well and get the win. And he did that.

Now, turnovers are still a problem, he was picked off twice and lost a fumble after a scramble, but in the second half he did play quite well and he made several big throws. He still gets off to slow starts whenever he plays, but he did a great job rallying the team in the second half. And for his effort, he was rewarded by being able to run out the clock in the victory formation. I don't want to get into any QB debates here, so I'll just say that I am glad we have two good quarterbacks who can play well when they need too.

Calais Campbell - Two tackles, sack, two pass deflections, QB hit

After a great defensive game, the guy I am going to single out this week (and there are plenty of guys I could praise) is Calais Campbell. He was one of the five Cardinals to get a sack, but for me the biggest play he made was on the third and one right before the 49ers final play where he batted down Alex Smith's pass at the line of scrimmage. He has been so good at this all year long, and he did it here at a critical moment forcing the 49ers into a fourth down play that they were unable to convert and it sealed the win for the Cardinals.

Ray Horton

I think I am going to have to start doing this every time the Defense has a great game. In his first year as the Defensive Coordinator for the Cardinals, his defense got off to a slow start with the guys struggling with the complex playbook, but over the last six games they have been balling and they have the potential to be a very good defense next year. I mean ranked in the upper half statistically.

The big thing for me is that even when the Defense is put in bad spots by turnovers or other struggles from the offense, Horton has been calling great plays and his guys are executing them very well. Especially in the second half where the 49ers only gained two first downs, one of them was on Frank Gore's 37 yard touchdown run, and the other came from a penalty. None of those first downs came in the fourth quarter either. The Cardinals have also had several players creating pressure in his blitz packages which helps keep the opposing offensive lines from focusing on one person. If there is one person who deserves most of the credit for this 5-1 stretch the Cards have been on, it is Ray Horton for the job he has done with this defense after how horrible it was under Billy Davis last season.

Honorable mentions go to Darnell Dockett, Patrick Peterson (great day in coverage), and Daryl Washington.